The Last Time
by camcradi
Summary: "This is the last time you tell me I've got it wrong!" But it would never be the last time. Avoiding Jack was the last thing Elsa wanted, but she had no choice. This was the best way to keep him away, though the desire to have him back is torturous. The golden knot around her finger is what has her chained back. Modern AU
1. Return The Favor

Of course. This was his favorite cafe. Of course he'd be here. He literally showed her this place, told her 'This is where you'll find me if you ever want to talk,' where they went on their dates, hell, he was practically treated like family here.

And somewhere, deep down, she wanted him to be here. Not to say she likes every time he gives her the same stare, the same apologetic, guilty stare saying he's sorry, he's _sorry_ , he's so goddamn _sorry_ , but it's so messy now, and there's no way in hell they can fix it. The only urge she has is just about the last thing she can do in this situation, which is go over and kiss the sadness out of him. Explain what's going on, apologize to him instead of having him feel sorry.

But she knows she can't. Which is probably why what she does makes the pang in her heart spark into a fire. She orders his favorite coffee, burying her face in Hans's shoulder, trying to feel warmth through his icy stare. Hans doesn't provide her the warmth she needs, she needs Jack, she needs to feel his arm around her again. But she can't think like that.

They're over. Elsa needs to accept that. They both do.

"See you again." A spunky red-head with unruly curly hair returns with their drinks, writing something on Elsa's cup.

"Thanks, Merida." Elsa gives her a smile. All she offers is a fake grin that doesn't meet her eyes. She's never going to hear the end of this. As if she hadn't done enough damage, she left a knife in Jack's heart as she walked out of the cafe.

"Creep." She said simply, no emotion behind it. Quickly, she walked out and unlocked her car.

"Do you ever think he'll stop making she's at you? You're not his anymore.

Elsa sighed as they both climbed into the car. _I'm not yours, nor will I ever be._

"I never want to see him again." Elsa spat. She lied to herself more than him. He smiled as she set one hand down by the cup holders. Hans intertwined their fingers, giving her hand a small, supposedly comforting squeeze. It sickened her. She smiled lightly back, glancing at him, then shifted her gaze back to the road. All that was stuck to her mind was Jack. How he would hold her, and all she would feel was safe. How he looked at her-still looks at her like she's the sun and the moon and stars. She still finds herself asking what happened between them.

She swallowed down her emotions with her coffee, which, by the way, did not at all taste like Jack as he kissed her. Hans gave a dark smirk as the car came to a slow stop. Elsa felt her heart leap as his hand grabbed the back of her neck. It didn't feel right. _He_ didn't feel right. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned in closer, _closer, too close..._ Hans looked at her, confused, as he saw her eyes darken from confliction. He slipped his hand away, folding his arms. Elsa let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, relief washing over her. The lack of his touch was a lot more calming. From the corner of her eye, she could see his face fall as he let go of her hand.

"I'm sorry, Hans..." She said in a tiny voice. His annoyance with her was building up, but he was doing his best to hide it. She pulled over to the shoulder of the road, resting her head against the wheel.

"How long do I have to wait for you to open up to me?"

"What?" She asks, lifting her head from the wheel.

"You always close yourself off from me, shutting off your emotions. Whenever I get too close, you get scared."

Elsa sat up, taking a deep breath. "I can't do this, not right now."

"Then when?! When are you going to get over your past?!"

Elsa froze. "I…"

"That ice was exactly what pushed your sister into running away. And look where she is now."

She balled her fists, gritting her teeth. He crossed a line. "You have no right to blame me for that."

"Do I?! Really?! I loved her, Elsa! But now," He chuckled darkly. "Now I'll never see her again. Because of you."

That was the last straw. She didn't need this. Didn't deserve this. They always ended up fighting, but this? This was too far.

"Get OUT! Get out of my car."

He opened his mouth to speak, but by then, she'd already managed to push him out of the car.

He watched as she drove away, screaming "This isn't over!"

She took off the golden band around her finger, throwing it on the pavement.

"No. This is the last goddamn time, Hans."

* * *

He was pathetic, falling victim for her words once more.

Jack sighed, wiping his eyes.

Merida walked over, tapping him on the shoulder. The café was pretty much vacant at this point. She tilted her head at him.

"Y'alright, bud?" She asked. Jack nodded, but she knew better. "Do y'just wanna stay until closin' or..? I can probably sneak ya a coffee."

He shook his head. "She called me a creep, Meri. Kept snuggling in that assholes shoulder like she didn't see me."

"I know. Plannin' to give her hell for it later."

He sighed, quickly changing the subject. "Besides, I have money. Just give me the regular." She nodded, taking his five and going behind the counter. A couple minutes later, she returned with his latte. "Gratzi." He thanked her, standing up.

"Y'sure you don't wanna stay?"

"Nah, I'm gonna go see Ed. He gets off soon anyway."

She smirked. "You're not gonna become some drunken bum who drowns his sorrows in whiskey, are ya?"

Jack scoffed. "Please."

He backed out of the shop before turning around, walking across the street and straight to the bar. Squinting, he searched for Ed, who there seemed to be no sign of.

"Care to explain what you're doing here?" He jumped at the voice behind him.

"Ed! You scared the shit outta me." His longtime friend snickered as he went behind the counter. "Bourbon on the rocks?"

Ed extended his hand. "I'm gonna need to see some form of ID, please."

Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, alright." He pulled a random card out of his pocket.

"This is a 7-day free coffee card from 7-11, but alright, fine, I'll take it." He grabbed a glass from under the table, quickly making him a drink. "Now, care to explain what the hell is going on?"

"Elsa, break up, calling me a creep... She doesn't even want me around her anymore. She's with that Hans weirdo now, I'm not even sure if it's by force." Ed slid the drink across the counter. "I don't even know what happened to us." Jack took a sip of his drink, then set it back down. Ed swiped it away from him. "Hey!" He complained.

"Oi! Y'need to stop moping around and fix this. Either between you and her, or you just need to fix this yourself. Get off your sorry ass and don't try drinking your problems away." He poured the drink down the drain.

"How can I fix anything if she won't even look at me?" Jack slammed his head against the counter.

"Ever hear of a cell phone, mate?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "She blocked my numbers. All of them. Either that or Hans blocked them without her knowing."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Then march the fuck in there and take back what's yours!" He encouraged.

Jack looked at him with an odd expression. "March where? Hans's and her's house? Besides, I'm not forcing her into a relationship she's not ready for."

Ed left for a minute, leaving Jack alone. He sighed. _This is stupid. Elsa wouldn't want this._ Before he knew it, Ed was back and out of uniform. He stomped over, grabbing Jack by the ear.

"Don't you have to-ah-work?" He hissed as Ed pulled him out of the bar.

"Got off early." And Jack found himself genuinely afraid of what this asshole was about to do to him.


	2. Cataclysm

**A/N: whoa I'm so sorry this went on hiatus for 3 months wow**

 **I just moved from my old house to my other old house, and then into a new house, so I'm pretty busy at the moment.**

 **Aaaaaaaanyway, I've finally figured out a plotline! (yay!) and I finally know what I'm gonna do.**

* * *

He bought her an apartment.

Well, with Hans's wealth, it isn't unexpected. He bought that apartment for her and only her, so he could lock her up there and come and go as he pleases. So he can keep her all to himself and not let anyone take her. It's sick really, he wanted to treat her like a dog, make her loyal to him and only him. It wasn't until he caught her throwing his keys into the fireplace that he truly accepted that he could never control her completely. The smell of burning plastic is still etched into his brain. He never felt compelled to make another key.

That's the only thing she's thinking about right now. He still wants her on a leash, like some dog. He thinks the ring that was around her finger was his way of telling her that she was a pet to him, and he was using the ring as a collar. Constantly pulling until it popped off.

She sighs into her pillow, hopefully wishing that he won't come by. She really wishes she had some other place to go, but the only other place she can think of is...

 _No._

 _Hell no._

She knows it's pride holding her down, but she can't help it. _Why can't that bastard just..._

She feels the first tear fall, as memories of that night come flooding back.

 _Just..._

She can remember watching him as she lead him to Eddy's room.

 _Just..._

He remembers her holding him close. Whispering into his ear. Her hands were all over. His hands never left his sides until he reached up...

 _go away..._

She ran after that. She could hear his pathetic cry out to her. She ran until she couldn't feel her lungs, until her feet ached. She didn't even know where she ended up, but she ran.

 _...?_

She hates nights like this, when all she can think about is the past. When she can't breathe, because she can't feel her chest any longer. These nights started happening years ago, but only started up again recently. What set them off, she has no idea. But these are usually the nights she relies on booze and sleep.

She pours herself a glass of wine, expensive wine that Hans had bought a while back in hopes of a date night, and guzzles it down as if it were water. Eventually, she just ditches the glass altogether and downs the whole bottle. The liquid warms her body, making her feel less and less with every couple of minutes.

She curls up on the couch, letting the alcohol lull her to sleep, until the annoying chime of the doorbell sounds.

"Whoz it?" She questions, standing slowly and walking to the door. The absolute last person she expected to see was standing there.

"Eddy! Whoa, itz been forever!" She slurs, giving him a sloppy hug. "You didn't bring V-Voldemort, did you?"

Ed shoos Jack behind the corner. "Nah, the boy's sleeping like a baby at my house. Y'care if I come in?"

"Nah, not at all!" She smiled, ushering him inside.

Ed looked around, only to discover a bottle and a half of wine emptied on the table. He sighed, patting Elsa on the head as he lead her over to the couch.

"You're drunk." He deadpanned.

"UWAAAAAAAAAH? I'm zober!" She claimed, attempting to walk around straight. "Cooompletely."

Ed walked over, helping her to her feet. By this point, she'd already been thinking about the past for the second time that night, but it only hit her when Jack's best friend showed up.

She started laughing.

"I know itz never good news when you show up here." She mumbled as she looked up at him. He was still towering over her, as tall and as intimidating as ever. "You're just trying to make everyone happy, are you not?" She started laughing some more, but this time it was tainted with hints of sadness, of longing.

"Elle, what are you going off about?"

"Don't you understand, Eddy? I miss him so much. I miss how he held me at night, I miss how he made me happy. I miss his smile, and his laugh, but I can never have it back! Y'know what I saw when I was running away from your house that night? I saw Jack leading her into the RV!" She couldn't stop herself now, her breathing became shaky, and she couldn't think straight anymore. Her rage is bubbling, waiting to blow.

"Wait a second. You mean...?"

"I saw him leading her into the van. You were probably too hammered to even remember. Ever since that night, I've never been the same. I knew we were drifting apart, but I would've never thought..."

She felt her tears falling, but she couldn't understand why. She's angry, so why is she crying? Over him of all people? Why, why, _why?_

She's never called Eddy Edmund before. Never.

"Elsa, c'mere." He said gently, holding his arms wide open. Like a child, she flings herself into his arms, letting her tears fall freely.

She tugged on his long sleeves, making him look down at her. "Punch him in the face for me, would you?"

He pats her head, shushing her, making sure she stays calm. "Shh Elle, you know I can't do that." He picks her up and lies her down on the couch. "Just get some sleep, alright?"

He leaves when she hears her sobs quiet down.

* * *

 **A/N: Whelp! That was... a piece of crap. I'msosorry, I just needed to update this, and get the story moving somehow, so I thought drunk!Elsa is the best way to do it but clearly.. uh... no. Get this tho, I can write for this all the time now, and I'm sooo excited :D:D:D also, Ed and Elsa have a hellofa past, but they're like brother and sister now, but he's sorta trying to be the good neutral, trying to protect them both. Sorry this chapter was so short! My inspiration is running p. low right now, and I'm trying to spread it. I have a ton of work that needs to get done by tomorrow so I'm under a lot of stress.**


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